where nothing is quite parallel nor perpendicular and likewise not as bleak as it may sound......
Observations of an opinionated Catholic home-schooling mother...
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(Don’t even get me started on sending a child through 4 years of Classical Latin at the local high school, just so she can come home and rip on our Church Latin pronunciation. Next time, girl, it’s you and me..........out front............with the noodles!)
I wonder if the author knows that you can sing the conjugations of the regular verbs (amo, amas, amat etc.) to the tune of the Mexican Hat dance? Works for us...............
Called in to work for a few hours yesterday afternoon, I put Frances in charge of the remainder of her brothers’ educational day. Actually, they were about finished and I needed someone to keep them from dismembering themselves and/or each other.
I was jarred from my church secretary reverie by a phone call announcing the capture of the phantom frog of the laundry room. Heretofore thought to be a figment of mater’s overactive imagination, its appearance made quite an impression on everyone. That answers my questions about what to do with the fish tank - it is now a terrarium for the frog. (But it’s not going back on the bookshelf, the books have already moved in......) The frog appears to be happy and healthy, especially after having a chance to jump in a pan of water and wash off the layer of lint that he had accumulated while living under my dryer. And I have been redeemed from the fate of being held as just delusional ol’ Mom.
A fourth-grade teacher at Williams Elementary School has received a formal reprimand for teaching her students the word "niggardly," the teacher's son said Tuesday......
The state of our society is worrisome indeed. Not to mention the state of our language. I should be offended if you call me fatuous. But I shouldn’t think you mean I have a hefty derriere.
Turned on the TV this morning when I went up to change out of my church-y clothes into some serious school work duds. [Shorts, T-shirt and obligatory ‘thinking cap’!] I found myself sucked into an Oprah vortex from which I had difficulty extricating myself. Today’s show had an extreme feel of deja vu and coupled with the fact that Oprah was wearing a dark wool sweater, I am led to suspect it was a repeat. Miss O was commisserating with a representative of some coalition to promote better child-friendly television. Oprah was just oozing righteaous indignation and exclaiming over and over, “I didn’t know you could say JackAss on TV!”
This must have all gone right past me the first time it aired. But within just the past few weeks I accidentally sat on the remote for the TV in my bedroom and activated the auto-program function .This wonderful piece of technology put back all the channels that I had worked so hard to keep off of my television. MTV, BET, all 3,000 ESPNs...........and Oprah’s own cooperative venture, Oxygen. Before I had a chance to hit the erase button, I was treated to the Sunday Night Sex Show. How can Oprah play innocent on her show and tsk about how careful parents need to be, while Oxygen has an amoral crone (who makes Dr. Ruth Westheimer look and act like the Flying Nun!) spewing obscene sex advice in a milieu specifically meant to be outside of the moral realm. I watched longer than I should have.........it was fascinating in the same way that the reptile house at the zoo is. More than once, this sexologist reminded her young viewers to put out of their minds any advice they may have received from their families or churches and to think for themselves and about their own pleasure. It was the most nauseating thing I have ever seen on basic cable. And it’s not just on Sunday night. A quick look at the TV Guide shows that it reruns often during the week.
Well, now we have one other pitfall to look out for.
(Not to mention all of my children’s future peer group who may already be in the process of being poisoned by this evil...........)
I would like to get rid of the TV altogether - most of the time. That might help us in the short run. Like living in a bubble in Love Canal. But what about when we have to get out there and mix with all the people who have been poisoned?????
Would you want this man as your lawyer or physician?
I think not.
They have been driving around a lot, as my sister is in the process of running for office and building a new house. (I don’t know which is worse - from the updates I get, I don’t think I want to do either) To pass the time on the road they have started lists of musical groups that have a color or food in their name. It is really fun when you get going........ Rick gets double credit for CREAM - a food and a color. And it’s one of those games where you’re guaranteed to beat the teens as your brain dredges up the names of groups that were washed up long before the young folks drew their first breaths. It’s also a little scary to realize this heretofore useless info has been riding around in your brain all this time.
Another school year starts tomorrow. I think I’m ready........
We had a lovely holiday, without incident.
We went to a nice picnic - just Mom and Dad !!! It was strange to have the children disbursed all over the place, but nice to have adult conversation. I was sorely disappointed that the children missed hearing a priest say the dinner blessing in Latin, since that is what we do every night and some are convinced that this is something that I made up. It didn’t start out as an attempt to be precious, just as a reinforcement of the Latin lessons as recommended by our the curriculum we use. It has had an interesting side effect in that it has taught daughter #3 to start praying spontaneously. Miss Bridget (aka the ‘Irish Princess’) is terrified that her friends will think that we are members of “some crazy cult.” When we have guests for dinner, she is so eager to head the Latin off at the pass that she starts praying in English at the first possible moment. Oh, well, whatever works.
Tomorrow night we’ll go for $.99 Happy Meals to celebrate the first day of school.
And we’ll pray in English. No sense in weirding out the diners at McDonald’s.
Check out what Greg Popcak has to say about another good reason for homeschooling.
Just the little reminder I needed as we approach the beginning of our school year on Tuesday.
